Rubio tells Cubans ‘now is the time’ to act as Trump hints at possible US intervention in Cuba
WASHINGTON, DC: Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, called on Cubans who want political change to take action right away. He posted this message on social media soon after President Donald Trump, at a campaign rally in South Florida, suggested that US warships coming back from Iran might stop near Cuba. Rubio encouraged Cubans to cooperate with the CIA, and he did this just days before the midterm elections.
Trump brought up an idea he first floated earlier in the year but hadn’t talked about lately. Rubio, whose parents came from Cuba, has always had a tough stance against Cuba’s government. He says the administration would like a peaceful solution, yet he doubts the current Cuban leadership can deliver one.
Trump claims warships will pass Cuba on the way home from Iran
Trump answered a question shouted from the crowd at the Friday rally, outlining how the Cuba issue could be handled once the Iran conflict winds down.
Trump: "We'll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran ... those beautiful ships, they'll pass Cuba. We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands, and then we're gonna send Marco Rubio in." https://t.co/BLfMmzHtFq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 23, 2026
“We’ll do a little stopover,” Trump said. “Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is, we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands. And then we’re going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal.”
Rubio and Trump have been certain on action in Cuba, with Trump previously suggesting the country would “be next” in terms of intervention abroad, following the winding down of the Iran war he has long forecast but which has not yet happened.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that previous US presidents had considered intervening in Cuba for decades but that “it looks like I’ll be the one that does it”.
Marco Rubio wants to ‘seize this opportunity’
Marco Rubio urged Cubans seeking political change in their country to act, saying “now is the time” moments after Donald Trump told a Friday rally for candidates in South Florida that US warships could intervene in Cuba on their way back from the Iran war.
The US secretary of state, in his social media post, addressed “those who seek to create positive change” and urged Cubans to capitalize on Trump’s plans.
“The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete [sic] partnership with the CIA,” Rubio said.
To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time. The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 23, 2026
Washington hasn’t let up on Cuba this year; pressure keeps rising. The administration pressed criminal charges against Raúl Castro, the former Cuban leader. US officials have talked with Cuban counterparts lately, but those talks didn’t impress anyone on the American side.
More sanctions quickly piled on. Just this week, the two governments clashed at the UN. The US tried to rally other nations against the annual vote criticizing its long-standing embargo.
Meanwhile, Cuba keeps struggling. Since 2020, the island has faced an economic and energy crisis that shrank its economy.
For its ten million residents, life means blackouts, food shortages, and inflation. There’s been wave after wave of protests, and hundreds of thousands of Cubans have left, most heading to the US.
